Lone Wolf
by twilitprincess
Summary: Link was always a lone wolf, but can't turn down the help of his friends when he gets stuck as one, facing a new challenge and enemy. R
1. The Stone is Lost

**A/N: Hi! This is my first major story on the best video game in the world! At least in my opinion. It's centered around Link and Little Johnny. And just so you know, Little Johnny isn't an OC, he's Colin. I just call him Little Johnny because it's funny and I've always called him that. XDDD So enjoy the story and make sure to review! No flames please, although I do take constructive criticism. **

It was a full moon again tonight, Link noted in his wolf form. He had the urge to start howling at it, but he resisted, trotting along the line of trees through Faron Woods. After saving Hyrule, he felt as if there was nothing more to do in his life, besides be was chased around Hyrule field by the postman and herd goats. The thought depressed him—many monsters had disappeared by now, being cleared out by the soldiers of Hyrule, who had unmistakably sprouted some courage after the whole Zant/Ganon incident. No one recognized him how he saved the day.

_The townspeople were totally clueless and didn't give a crap about me…and the gorons, after the Fire Temple, I never heard back from them. I expected something more after saving Darbus. _

Link recalled the past events. He stood up and yawned. It was much later now. He had spent the whole night prowling about the forest, wandering which way and that, and now he decided he'd better touch his twilight stone and return to his human form. He glanced around, wondering where he had put it. Now that Midna was gone, no one could carry it for him and he had to set it down somewhere he would remember. The wolf retraced his steps back to a familiar clump of ferns.

Oh! Here it is… 

He plunged his nose into the ferns, sniffing expectantly. Nothing was in there! Link felt certain he had put it in there…but he nosed around some more, nostrils flaring as he tried to catch some sign. He took up a faint trail leading from the ferns in the direction of Hyrule Castle. He growled and began to pad along, but the trail was faint and he could not find exactly where it had gone. But it was obvious: a thief had stolen his precious stone! That stone meant everything to him and now it was gone. Link knew he had to get it back! But he would need some help…after all, Midna was gone and Zelda was so busy these days.

With a sinking feeling, he realized he would have to do it himself.

* * *

Purlo raced gleefully along Hyrule Field's border, heading north to Kakariko. He cackled about his fortune. 

"The Star Game? Who wants to be a star? I can make a killing off this precious jewel I found! More than I ever would have if I stuck with that silly game. I mean…I'm a star!" Purlo leaped through the air, twirling and giggling as he made his way into the village.

Kakariko was a desolate landscape wedged inside a tight valley below Death Mountain, home of the gorons. The twilight monsters had killed most of the inhabitants off and the homes were boarded up and abandoned. A few people remained…the gorons, the bomb seller, the shaman, and his daughter. There was also a little general store over near the entrance, a store trying to help out adventurers.

Inside that store lived Malo, a selfish baby boy who tried his best to conceal his feelings from others. He was an Ordonian, but would usually take trips between his village, visiting his lonely shop every once in awhile to see if there was any income, and making bargains with the locals. He also had a shop in Hyrule town that he rarely visited, but he still owned. At the moment, he was recounting his meager rupees as his desk as the old goron rooted through old boxes in the back, hunched over a particular one that had dusty wooden shields inside.

Purlo knew he could go sell his article at the nearby Malo Mart and get good money for it. He was a selfish, greedy man, and didn't even know what he had caused our hero Link, although, he wouldn't care either way. He entered the shop with a bang and slapped the stone on the wooden desk, scattering splinters in his wake.

"I demand…one thousand rupees for this rare specimen!" Purlo announced grandly, his voice ringing through the shop and echoing off the walls. Malo carefully picked up the "jewel" with a tissue and examined it carefully. He knew he didn't have one thousand rupees since the only guy he could afford to mooch off of was Link himself. But Malo was a brat and brats were good at lying.

With some pudgy fingers, he dug around in the shelves under his desk. His baby fingers met with some string and he yanked out what he had been looking for.

He held up a small charm and dangled it in front of Purlo's face. Purlo gave him a weird look as if to ask what message the baby was trying to pass.

"You see this charm?" Malo grunted. "This charm is worth twice…no, thrice as much as that jewel you got on my desk."

Purlo was easily tricked and looked on in awe. "M-Mister Malo!" He stammered with a new respect. "How did you come across such a…a…prize? I-I would love for an exchange, if you would allow it, my dear friend!" He clasped his hands and hunched over a little bit as if to grovel. He had done this before, many times, to get what he wanted. He was good at being a suck-up.

Malo squinted his beady eyes, frowning. "Oh, I don't know, Purlo. This was given to me by a fairy." Malo realized that that must have sounded absurd. He knew he mustn't get carried away if he was going to get that priceless, mysterious artifact.

But it worked and the consumer bought the act.

Purlo gasped. Malo knew he had him right where he wanted. It was time to stop fooling around and get to the point. "I have no use for it. You seem worthy of holding it in your own possession." He tossed it to Purlo who caught it and looked at it greedily.

"Thank you! Thank you!" He spluttered. "I will give you ALL the rupees in my pocket for such a treasure!" He managed to fish out 15 rupees. With one last thank you, he darted out the door, once again singing about his luck. Malo let out a snort, which was his way of laughing. The goron elder poked his head above some storage boxes. He was the elder who usually helped out Malo inside the mart, trying to get donations and whatnot.

"Malo, sir…" He croaked, his voice cracking with age. "That charm was found on the floor of the mart…it is worth _nothing_."

"I know." Malo said coldly. "Which is exactly why I think I'll station a few goron guards outside the door for the time being." Malo stood up and began waddling towards the door… "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go talk to someone."

Malo stepped out of his shop and looked over to see the strangest, many-colored goron elder meditating outside. He stood up at the sight of the storeowner, grunting a greeting, then getting back to his business.

"I foresaw you coming…" He smiled. "Now what do you need?"

"I need to know what this is…" Malo held up the stone.

"I would keep it in that cloth if I were you…" The goron chuckled.

"Tell me what it is and where it comes from. I want to know. I've never seen anything like it." Malo said, looking annoyed.

"It belongs to someone you know…" The goron elder continued, speaking in riddles. "If you don't return it to him, you won't be seeing him for a long time…"

Malo was curious, but from the way the elder closed his eyes, he knew he was being dismissed. Disgruntled, he stomped away, curious for more information.

"Why won't I see them for awhile? Will they be looking for the jewel…?" Malo paused for a long time until a smirk spread across his face. "Well, it's mine now."

* * *

Link had given up hope on finding his stone. He had been to Lanayru Province and back and it was the turn of the next day by now. Night was approaching fast and sleep threatened to consume Link. Paws weary with fatigue, he wandered through a dark tunnel, glancing around quietly. Most of the enemies were gone, except for those that remained in the temples such as the Forest Temple. It didn't matter to him—he supposed they had a life and the temples were sanctuaries. 

He stopped again, yawning for the umpteenth time that night. His wolf instincts told him to find a nice cave to lie down in or curl up in a nice pile of dry leaves, but his human self wouldn't allow it.

I can't fall asleep yet…I need help…maybe I could ask Epona if she's seen it. 

Yawning, wolf Link trotted over to the grass by Faron's spring. He cast an awkward glance at the spring, but Faron didn't seem too keen on seeing him today. Was everyone abandoning him or what? He knew his faithful horse wouldn't leave him alone to face the hardships of a normal wolf. He stood atop the grass, ears pricked. The tune flowed through his mind and he began to howl the joyful notes of Epona's Song. After he was done, he listened intently for the sound of her whinny and rushing hooves.

It never came. Again, he howled the song, much unsure of himself this time. Yet again, nothing. A chilling sensation crept up his fur-covered spine. He was alone for good.

**A/N: Eh…not very long. I think the next one will be longer. I'll get into more detail k? R&R!!!!!!!!!! Thanks. **

**By the way I won't update till I get some review so please be kind and review!**

**Twilit Princess**


	2. Epona's Song

**Wow! Already a review! My thanks to you, BlueIrish, and I hope more people start reviewing! So here's the next chapter of Lone Wolf!**

Little Johnny sat outside Link's house, head lolling as he dozed. His eyelids would flutter open then close, flutter open, and repeat. He was waiting for Link and he had no idea where his friend had been all day. He wanted someone to talk to, to confide in. The other kids—Beth, Talo, and Malo—they always left him out of things. Beth was okay, but Talo shunned him out of hate…or was it jealousy? Little Johnny knew he had never done anything to him so…why?

Suddenly, a howling sounded not too far off. It was just across the bridge on the outskirts of Faron. The mournful wail sent chills up the boy's spine. A sharp whinny pierced the night and Little Johnny almost fell out of the tree house. Epona was below him, tethered to the house, but she was thrashing about, shrieking. Little Johnny climbed quickly down the ladder and ran to calm Epona, but she flailed her hooves at him, tugging on the rope that bound her. Little Johnny tried to calm her with his voice.

"Epona, girl, it's okay! You're okay! That monster is over in Faron. It can't hurt you. Epona! Calm down! Epona!"

The fiery mare refused to listen, neighing like a crazed bronco. She was trying to get loose. Little Johnny backed away, a sudden rage flaring inside his big heart. He drew out his sword and shield and rushed away toward Faron, calling over his shoulder to the horse,

"I promise I'll make that thing stop scaring you, Epona! I promise!" He raced away around the rock cliff, disappearing from view.

Epona continued her struggle, but it was growing weaker as the howling ended. When all was silent, she stomped her hoof against the ground in frustration. Then her ears flattened and she hung her head in defeat.

Little Johnny pushed quietly through the undergrowth of the forest, ready to take the monster by surprise. He figured it must have been a wolfos—those creatures had once attacked the ranch, but a party from the village had chased them off. He remembered the skeleton dogs and had never forgotten the way they had slunk into the darkness, eyes leering, bones clacking.

When he came near the clearing, he was amazed to see that this wolf had _skin_, and even fur. But it also had muscle and would not be easy to defeat.

The wolf's ears were pricked intently, listening for a sound. Its muscles were made of liquid steel, and as it shifted from paw to paw, the muscles rippled under the sleek pelt. A mane brushed out from its shoulders and strange markings appeared on its body. Little Johnny realized the beauty of this creature for a moment—and he would be the death of it. Either that, or this creature would be the death of him or maybe another innocent passerby. Little Johnny realized with sadness that a little kid might wander into the forest one day to play, but this marvelous wolf would attack nonetheless. That was the way of the bloodthirsty animals. Little Johnny tightened his grip on his shield and circled around behind the wolf. He made not the slightest sound…but it didn't matter. The beast was too focused on whatever he was trying to listen to. He refused to listen to his instinct.

Little Johnny felt the sweat run down his face as he came up behind the wolf, raising his sword. He would go for the neck. There was a long pause of silence. Little Johnny was about to bring the blade down upon the creature's neck when the wolf took a deep breath and howled once more. The howl took a form of notes…and then took the form of a song Little Johnny could recognize anywhere. Epona's Song! Little Johnny gasped and the song was cut off. The wolf turned around, bristling, teeth bared.

Little Johnny screamed.

The wolf snarled and leaped forward. Little Johnny stumbled backwards and he fell over a limb. His sword went flying from his grasp, a good few yards away. And the monster was in between. He fumbled for his shield, but he was shaking too much and couldn't get it out.

"Don't kill me." He managed to rasp through his fear.

The wolf growled and pawed angrily at the ground, but didn't come any closer. Little Johnny's fear resided a bit. He sighed,

"Hey. You're-!"

The wolf snapped, letting out a dog-like roar. Little Johnny shrieked again and cowered against the ground. The wolf still wouldn't come any closer although it showed all signs of aggression. Little Johnny thought he had a chance to scare the wolf off and struggled to his feet, trying to appear bigger. The wolf didn't flinch. Little Johnny made eye contact with the canine, smiling confidently. The wolf glared back, top lip quivering. Little Johnny continued to stare into those big blue eyes, but neither of them would look away.

_I've seen those eyes somewhere before… _He thought, _they look like Link…how the pieces come together!_

"Link…?" Little Johnny whispered.

Link's ears lowered. His fur flattened to normal size and his tail dropped back down.

"It _is _you! How…how did you get like that? I-I mean…uh…" Little Johnny spluttered nonsense. Questions battered his mind, so many he wanted to ask, but he just kept quiet. How was Link a wolf? Little Johnny stepped forward. Link stepped back. He looked nervous. The situation was awkward.

"I…I don't know what to say…do…I…I'll go get my dad!" Little Johnny turned to run, but in a blur of silvery gray, he was in front of him, tensed up and serious, but he dare not growl at Little Johnny.

"Link…how are you a wolf? I wish I knew. I won't tell anyone! I promise!"

Link drew back, head lowered, eyes narrowed as if he didn't trust Little Johnny.

"Link! I'll find you help! Meet me back here tomorrow night, okay?"

Link didn't give any sign of hearing him, but raced away through the brush. Little Johnny watched his tail disappear between some green bushes and sighed.

"Is it a curse? Or is he keeping a secret I don't know about? Oh goddesses, I can't do this alone!" Little Johnny, despite his promise, decided to tell the other children about Link's plight. And together, he knew, they would help Link no matter what.

* * *

Little Johnny was awakened the next morning by his little sister crying. He blinked groggily, trying to wake up.

"Little Johnny! We have some nice cooked eggs for breakfast!" His mother sang out. She was a morning person.

Little Johnny remembered Link from last night and was on his feet in an instant.

"Johnny?" She asked questionably as he jumped out of bed and ran at the door.

"No thanks! I'll be going!" He banged the door and she sighed.

"No Rusl today either…I guess it's just me and you…" She bent over the bundled-up baby, caressing the soft locks of hair that flowed from the baby's head. The crying stopped and the baby cooed happily and Little Johnny left, unhappily, to go seek out the other children.

"Malo! Talo! Beth!" He found the kids where he thought—they were hanging around Link's yard. Little Johnny paused abruptly. Malo wasn't there. He guessed he must have been back over the shop. Of course, it didn't seem his parents really cared.

"Hey Little Johnny." Talo said in a bored voice. He poked his play sword at the ground. "Do you know where Link is? No matter how much we call, he just won't answer."

It was time to tell them.

"Guys Link's a wolf."

Everyone stared at him. Okay. So maybe telling them flat out hadn't been a good idea.

"I mean…" He paused, searching for words to explain it. "I was waiting for him last night and I heard a wolf howling Epona's Song. I went to check it out and when I said his name…I knew it was him, guys!"

Both children looked on disbelievingly. "Yeah right." Beth rolled her eyes and continued looking at her nails.

"Seriously! When have I ever joked around like this?" Little Johnny pleaded, biting back pitiful tears. If Beth didn't believe him, nobody would!

"I asked him to meet us here tonight. You'll see…we'll go to Faron."

Talo looked up, excited. "Faron? Out of Ordona? I'm with ya buddy!" He pounded Little Johnny on the back. Little Johnny fell to the ground.

"I guess I'll come…not that I'm that interested or anything but…" She frowned.

Little Johnny felt a flicker of hope but then it died out. They were only coming with him to get out of their village. They didn't believe him.

But they'll see when Link shows up… 

Little Johnny thought, encouraged.

He turned away to go do chores. He spent the day fishing for dinner and got to go visit the goats at the ranch. He came back that evening to find the door to Link's house wide open. "Link?" He shouted, shooting up the ladder and entering the house. To his disgust, he found Talo rooting through Link's stuff.

"Hey Little Johnny." He sneered. "I figured since Link is a wolf now, he won't be needing his rupees. Don't you think so?"

With a roar and a bound, Little Johnny was on top of Talo, wrestling him to the ground.

"Put them back! Put them back!" He demanded over and over, grinding Talo's face into the floorboards.

"Help! Help!" Talo shouted. "Get this crazy lunatic off me!"

Beth appeared in the doorway. Being no help at all, she took off for the village screaming, "The boys are fighting! The boys are fighting! Little Johnny snapped and is beating the crap out of Talo!"

After a moment, Mayor Bo appeared and hoisted both boys by their shirts. Talo's nose was bleeding heavily. Little Johnny had a bruise above his eye.

"No fighting! You hear me? I outta-!"

"Jonathan!" Uli exclaimed, following Bo. "I'm appalled! You're staying in for the rest of the night! …And tomorrow as well!"

Little Johnny's mouth opened in protest, "Mom! NO!"

She grabbed his wrist and dragged him roughly away. He tried to wriggle free in vain.

"Talo started it!" Little Johnny begged. "Please let me go out tonight! Please! He was rooting through Link's stuff! He was-!"

Talo was also grounded that night. Beth sighed. The whole day had been boring…if you excluded the fight. Dusk was approaching. She walked carefully along the bridge, entering Faron. She waited by the spring for a while, but, being impatient, she turned away with an angry huff.

"So Little Johnny had lied after all!"

And she stomped away, back to Ordon Village.

**Cool! It was longer! That makes me happy. Please review. I'd like to know how I'm doing. But if you don't like it, stop reading it and just don't review! The next chapter should be up pretty soon especially since the end of school is in a week! Yay! Well, I'll be back again soon!**

-Twilight Princess


	3. Imprisoned

**Hey People. Just wanted to say—Read the Author Notes! They're pretty important sometimes, even though most of the time they're not. Sorry, it took me awhile to put this up, anyways. I thought I'd get it up at the end of school, but I ended up going on vacation earlier than planned and I had other things to do and whatnot…well, here's part 3!**

Little Johnny had never shown up that night. Link had seen Beth sitting by the spring, but he didn't trust her. Who knew if Little Johnny had told her? He didn't take his chances and padded off to wander about.

His stomach growled.

_I seriously do not want to kill anything…but if I have to…no! I won't let these wolf senses take over._

But Link felt that if his hunger got the better of him, he would end up losing himself to the beast within himself. He was headed towards Eldin Bridge when he heard a wild call. He looked to his right to see a small band of moblins riding towards him, squealing and stringing arrows.

_Those pigs look so meaty…_

He drooled at the thought of sinking his teeth into it.

_Come on Link! If you let the wolf get the better of you, you might endanger other people. _

He took off, speeding across the field with the pigs hot on his heels. He barked, making a mad dash for the bridge. He slowed at the sight of a blue boar with the moblin leader resting upon his back. The leader had his axe out, eyes sparking with glee. Link felt rage wash through him and with a mighty roar; he launched himself through the air, propelling himself at the exposed belly of the offender. The moblin bellowed, looking at the long bloody gash that had been left by the beast.

Wolf Link raced away over the mountain terrain. Angrily, the leader sent his men after him as he nursed his wound. He had followed the strongest side, always, but he had no idea that the wolf had been Link.

Link pounded his paws against the ground, panting, fighting for breath. Wolf instincts were creeping in. As the boars approached from behind, he had to give in.

_The wolf can get me out of this!_

He thought desperately, letting his grasp of humanity go to save himself. Instantly, the wolf was wide-awake to its situation. An aggressor was chasing it, firing arrows at it. He knew what to do.

The wolf's speed doubled, trying to lose the pursuing, never tiring moblins. He twisted about the trail, dodging stray arrows with a cunning you could never imagine. They passed into Lanayru, and the wolf's panting heightened and the paws became achy and scratched. The moblins finally knew they had their prey right where they wanted it and closed in greedily, prepared to avenge their injured leader. Then with a sudden bolt of energy, the wolf turned around and sprung at the throat of the first moblin. He tore it open and the moblin slumped down, dead. The boar scared easily and took off across the field, smacking into one of the trees, sending his master flying into it, hitting it head first. He did not move again. After a moment, the boar got up and lumbered away, towards the direction of Lake Hylia.

Link spun around, snarling and snapping. The moblin shakily swung a weapon in his direction, but he jumped back, and then came forward again to tear his arm off. He flopped off the boar and the last moblin sat there, dumbfounded. He dropped his arrows, kicked his boar, and raced back in the direction of the bridge.

Link, unable to compromise what he was doing, bit into a moblin and spat it back out. It tasted horrible! He looked around, wondering where the appetizing pig meal had gone when he spotted a crazy little girl skipping towards the closed-in town. Her cheeks were rosy and her blonde hair flowed out behind her. Why, it was Agatha! But he only recognized her as a hearty meal for his famished body. He began to stalk her, crouching low in the grass.

"Lil' flea! Lil' flea!" She sang, loud enough for Little Johnny back in Ordon to hear. "I just wanna place you on my head and give you a new condo!"

Then she spotted Link, hidden in the foliage.

"Oh! Lil' wolf! Lil' wolf! I wanna pinch your wet little nose and kiss your…" She trailed off as Link crept threateningly forward, the light of hunger burning in his eyes.

She dropped her basket she had been carrying and began to rush towards the town. The wolf howled and chased her, going so much faster. She gasped for breath, crossing the bridge with Link but a few yards behind.

"Help! Help!" She squealed, unable to shout anymore.

She made it into the town with Link in tow. He sprang at her, ready to close his gaping jaws on her shoulder, but a hard metal object came crashing down on his head. He fell to the ground, stunned, the breath knocked out of him. Voices sounded all around him…they were angry and panicked. He rolled his eyes to see a tall soldier standing over him, raising the end of his spear over his head. So that's what had hit him. The wolf felt his muzzle being bound as well as his neck. He closed his eyes, weary with fatigue and hunger. A sharp tug on his new leash sent him back into action.

He tried to attack the holder of the foul leash, but he couldn't pry his jaws opened. He stopped, eyes wide in confusion. The rope was yanked again, this time harder. It sent him sprawling against the stone pavement. The hard surface scratched his vulnerable nose and he squeezed his eyes in pain. The hit had brought back Link—his humanity had returned.

He was back on his feet, looking around wildly. People were laughing at him in his confused state. One young man spit at him, but he backed away to avoid the disgusting saliva. Again, the rope tugged, but he ignored it. The tall soldier lifted the rope in the air above Link as if to hang him.

The wolf let out a loud choking gasp as the monstrous guard threatened, "If you don't come with me, I'll be taking off your head!"

Link's fur fell flat against his body, making him appear much smaller. A fat guard staggered up to the tall one, shaking from fear of the wolf.

"…What are you going to do with it?" He asked in a low voice. "Should I go ask Princess Zelda if…?"

"Princess doesn't need to be bothered with such a stupid problem!" The other guard snapped. "Go make yourself useful!"

The guard cowered and walked sheepishly away.

"Hey, please don't kill me. Not after all I've done for this stupid town. Come on…come on. It'd be so ironic if I went through that whole adventure and died at the hands of my own people!"

The tall guard continued to drag Link along who dared not fully resist. Link was mumbling to himself, but it only came out as frustrated growls. He could not move his muzzle as much as he wanted to, and he definitely could not fix it around a simple hand. A crowd was following up the steps to the castle.

"Sir!" A lady with crazy blonde hair called out near the front. "What are you going to do with the beast, sir?"

"This is the beast that has been appearing in our humble town for quite some time now!" He raised his voice so everyone could hear. His voice rang out through the town. "Now that most of the monsters have been cleared out by our brave soldiers…and we have this brute…we can finally live in peace!"

The townspeople cheered and Link felt rage boil up inside him.

"You did nothing!" He shouted, pulling back on the leash, trying to growl. "I cleared out those monsters! And I never tried to hurt anyone…did I?" Link couldn't recall the events leading up to his capture. "Did I really try to kill someone?" He whimpered sadly.

The tall guard (We'll just call him Sir) led Link through a dank corridor. Link followed wearily.

_Whatever they do to me, I'll be sure to find a way out of it…_

Link thought to himself encouragingly. Then he felt his muzzle ripped off, and he was shoved into a dirty prison cell. The door was shut tight, and locked, but the lock didn't seem to need a key. The fat guard appeared again.

"Sir…the townspeople demand the monster be killed." He whispered in his ear.

Link's ears pricked. Although the men spoke in low voices, he was still able to detect what they spoke about. Link didn't want to kill them, but he'd part them with a few wounds if they were going to murder him.

"I'm keeping him in here for now. We can starve him and make him weaker…then we can kill him!" Sir cackled and exited with his minion. Link let out a wolfish sigh and slumped against the prison bars. It was the exact same cell that he had been in during the twilight. The irony of it made him want to puke.

**As always… R&R**


	4. Malo's Discovery

Hello again, just so you know, I don't know if this will be updated as often anymore because my sister and I are starting another Zelda story. We're starting to plan it, but I don't know when it will be up. It's gonna be a hundred times better than this one so make sure to read it! Thanks!

"Wake up, Talo, we're going to Kakariko." Talo was awakened to a worried face directly in front of his own. He sat up abruptly.

"Little Johnny!" He grumbled. "It's 3 in the morning! How do you expect me to go anywhere with you at 3 in the morning?"

LJ shook his head furiously. "I don't. But this is your last chance to come with me on an adventure." Talo looked like he was about to say no, but Little Johnny added, "We get to use swords-!" "I'm in!" Talo whispered, slowly climbing out of bed. "Let's go get Beth!"

They slowly exited the house and came inside where Beth lived. She wasn't even sleeping! She was admiring herself in a mirror on the wall. "We'll get in big trouble and you know it. Besides, Johnny, I still don't believe you." She pouted, not taking her eyes off her own reflection. "But you guys will obviously die without me. You need my help. Follow me."

She led them to Sera's Sundries, using a key to open it. "Hurry up." They filed in and clicked the door behind them. Beth went around back and got out three bottles of milk and stuck them in a bag. Then she took out a slingshot.

"I want the slingshot!" Talo whined, jumping forward to snatch it. Beth glared.

"Go steal a sword from somewhere! I have no weapons so this is mine! Now where is that spare lantern…?" She continued to dig around.

"Rusl has a sword, right?" Talo asked sharply as he and his enemy exited the store.

"Yes, but…I don't know if we should take it."

"He'll be delayed if he doesn't have it." Talo insisted. "Go get it…or I will."

"Fine." Little Johnny went inside and grabbed his father's sword. His sister woke up and he froze. She stared at him with round eyes.

"Wahh!" She started to bawl. Little Johnny gasped and fled the house. He dashed to where the other two kids waited.

"Here!" He tossed the sword to Talo, quickly strapping on his own sword and shield. "That's good enough for now…my little sister cried when she saw me! We have to get out of here!"

"Nice!" Talo sneered and they took off running for Faron.

"Little Johnny is missing!" They heard the cry ring out behind them.

"So is Talo!"

"And Beth!"

The cries grew fainter. Beth paused by Link's house. "Epona! Let's take Epona!" Talo tried to climb onto the mare, but she shook him off, whinnying shrilly and rearing up. Only her master was allowed on.

"Epona…please, let us get on. Only for a little while. Just to get away from town. Just get us through Faron, okay?"

"There's no time!" Beth cried out. "They're coming! Screw the horse!"

"Please Epona, please. We're going on a mission to help Link. Just let us ride you for a little bit…_please._"

"She doesn't understand you." Talo snorted.

But Epona, amazingly, understood every word of it. She lowered her head and swished her tail, as if requesting they get on. They stood dumbfounded. She snorted, as if to prod _well? _Little Johnny smiled and climbed on the saddle. Beth followed, sitting behind him. Talo hesitated. Angry voices from the town grew louder.

"Come on Talo!" Beth urged.

Talo narrowed his eyes. "Only if I get to sit in the front."

"No! Come on!"

"There you kids are! Boy, are you in trouble!"

Little Johnny screamed, a high-pitched girly sound. Mayor Bo rounded the corner, face contorted with anger. He began to run at them. Beth bent down and grabbed Talo's hand. Little Johnny kicked Epona, who reared and began to take off. Talo let go.

"Talo!" Beth called desperately. Mayor Bo grabbed the boy.

"Help! Help! The fat man's got me!" Talo squirmed.

"Turn Epona around!" Beth screamed. Little Johnny tugged on the reins, but Epona swung her head in confusion. "I don't know how!" The boy wailed.

"Don't leave without me guys! Guys!"

"You're coming back with me." Bo growled, firmly tugging Talo back to the town. Talo writhed, but Bo had a firm grip. With one swift movement, Talo dug his little teeth into Bo's arm, and the mayor released him with a sharp squeal. "The little monster bit me!" Talo took the chance to break away and go rushing after the horse.

"He did it! Talo got away! Johnny, stop the horse!" Beth tapped Little Johnny repeatedly, eyes fixed on Talo as he tried to catch up. He was falling behind, but they had lost all sight of Bo.

"How do I do that?" Johnny yelled, trying his best to hold onto the reins as Epona charged away.

"Pull on them, you idiot!" Talo screamed from afar. Little Johnny pulled back and Epona halted, hooves skidding. They stopped just across the bridge. Talo caught up and jumped on Epona, just behind Beth.

"Thanks a lot." Talo snorted. "You know how nasty Bo's arm tastes?"

It took a minute for them to catch on. "You bit Mayor Bo?!" Beth shrilled. "Why, in Hyrule, would you go as far as to bite him? I mean you may as well bit Princess Zelda, for all Ordona cares!" Beth ranted on about it all the way through Faron, but the boys ignored her the whole time. By the time they got to Hyrule field, Epona dumped them off her back, snorting in disgust at having three riders at once.

"Good girl." Little Johnny coaxed her, offering a handful of grass. Epona turned away.

"Why can't you just take us the rest of the way?" Talo snorted at Epona. She tossed her mane in annoyance.

"How would you like three kids riding your back all day?" Little Johnny replied. "We're not far enough yet. We need to cross the field."

"Um…where are we going, exactly?" Beth narrowed her eyes.

"Kakariko. Maybe we can buy some goods from Malo while we're there. Then we'll go look for Link…or…or something, I dunno."

"Sure. I got at least 20 rupees from Link's house, and I've been saving up about 50 more so that's 70 rupees from me."

Turns out, LJ and Beth didn't bring any, so they went off with that. They began to head northeast, towards the direction of Kakariko. They came across no enemies along the way, since most had been, as said before, cleared out. Across the Kakariko Gorge, they ran into some trouble.

"A kagarok!" Beth screamed. Little Johnny and Talo whipped out their swords. The moment of battle turned awkward.

Beth was screaming and shooting deku nuts every which way as the evil bird swooped down from above. One smacked Little Johnny in the face, leaving an ugly red gash. Talo was jumping around wildly, swinging his sword at the air, but the kagarok stayed out of reach. The monster paused, confused, observing the odd scene before its eyes. It shook its head impatiently, and plunged down, right for Little Johnny, beak open for tearing, talons stretched for clawing. The boy sliced his sword through the air and the kagarok's tail feathers went flying. The bird tried to take off, screeching in agony, but he was unable to use his ability to rudder without his feathers, and plummeted downwards. Talo ran over to where the bird lay twitching on the ground and plunged his sword into its chest. It stopped moving and lay still, face still bearing an angry expression. Talo drew back, wiping the kagarok blood on the grass.

"Come on, kids." He said in a cool voice. "Kakariko is just over this hill. Stop wasting time…" He tucked his sword away and started to tramp on over towards Kakariko. Little Johnny exchanged a glance with Beth. He held his cheek, but blood seeped through.

"I hope they have a good doctor." Little Johnny muttered, looking over at the sinking sun.

Slowly, they started to follow Talo. Beth shot a worried glance at LJ. "Um…sorry about that. I'm sure Renado will take care of everything." Little Johnny gave a nod.

"It stings…"

They entered the small town just as the sun set and the first Stalhounds started creeping from their caves.

Malo tossed and turned in his sleep. He couldn't get the mysterious jewel from Purlo out of his mind. For hours it had gnawed at his brain, begging to be found out.

_That dark stone…who would need it? Some…villain? Why won't I be seeing them? What power does it hold…I just can't figure it out? Who would need such a…a…_

A knock at the door woke him from his restless slumber. Purlo…? No, it couldn't be. There were guards looking out for him. Malo got up, slipping on the proper attire, and heading to the front of Malo Mart. He set his ear against the door, wondering who it could be.

"Use your head…" He grouched. "Do you really think we'd be open at this hour?"

"No, but I don't want to buy anything."

"Then want do you want?"

"A nice cold bottle of milk. Make that three bottles."

"I'm afraid it will cost you."

"Jeez, Malo! I was kidding! Don't you recognize your brother's voice when you hear it? Just let us in!"

Malo hesitantly opened the door and the three children came in. Malo regarded thoughtfully that they must have sneaked out of the village to come all the way here. It must also be important, if they had taken such extreme measures. He led them to a small table in the back and they each took a seat on a small, cheap stool. There was a long silence, as if the trio of guests expected to be served drinks then and there.

"What do you want?" Malo grunted, narrowing his beady eyes.

Little Johnny spoke first. "We were wondering if you'd like to come with us on our adventure…see…Link's turned into a wolf. I think it's some sort of curse, but he's been missing. We haven't seen him around at all. Talo and Beth don't really believe me…but I'm going to show them."

At that moment, something in Malo's mind snapped. _Link! It was Link! The answer had been right there all along! _Malo shook wildly in his seat.

"Malo…?" Beth asked, looking concerned. "Are you o-!"

"No! Get out!" He snapped.

"Aren't you going to help?" Little Johnny asked.

"No! I said no! Shop is closed…leave RIGHT NOW!"

"Malo! What's gotten in to you?" Talo demanded. Malo couldn't stop shaking.

"Leave!"

"We're not leaving until you tell us what's wrong!" Beth pouted.

"Guards!" Malo shrieked at the top of his lungs. "Guards!"

A heavyset goron crashed through the door. He was flanked by two smaller ones…all looked extremely concerned.

"What's wrong?" The lead goron demanded.

"Get these three outta my sight!" Malo hissed, pointing at them in disgust. The kids protested, but each goron bent down and dragged them out of the shop, throwing them outside the town and leaving.

"You come back in here, and we'll rip your limbs!" One of the gorons screeched and they disappeared.

"Friendly." Talo muttered.

"We should have gone to see Renado first." Beth wailed. "Look at your cut! And it's all my fault! Ohh…I wish Link we're here!" She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

"It's okay." Little Johnny patted her back, smiling weakly. "We'll find him…besides, there's a doctor in Hyrule town, I'm sure of it. We'll go find him. He's not too far away…" Little Johnny trailed off. But really, the doctor was very far. They would have to hurry.

Malo curled up in his small bed again, still shivering with glee. He couldn't believe it was Link—the great hero! He always hated Link, knowing he could never be such a hero—hated him with a jealousy that burned like fire! And now, somehow, Link had become a wolf, and needed this stone. Malo wondered what he could hold over Link with such a stone…he could become even more known than the hero himself.

Malo went to bed that night, and slept peacefully, dreams of supreme power flooding his evil little mind.

**Heheh…I liked this chapter. I'll try and work on the next one a lot! **


	5. Trickery and Escape

Link slumped against the back of the cell. In the darkness, he could not tell what time it was. He thought at least a day had past…he was feeling hungry and thirsty already.

_Humans can't go two days without water…what about…wolves?_

He got up and padded over to a small pile of straw. His "bed." He lay down, but the straw scratched and pricked at him. He rolled over, moaning. A slam from nearby made him jump to his feet. The door to the jail flew open and in marched two guards he didn't recognize, pushing along another man.

"I'm innocent! I'm innocent! It was all Malo's fault…he told me it was priceless!"

"_Sure_ Purlo." Shortie #1 sneered, "Malo, owner of the fun, great, prosperous Malo Mart…gave sneaky little cheat Purlo a charm that was _priceless_."

"Maybe next time you'll think more seriously about cheating people for their money. I think you deserve a bit of time behind bars for your trickery." Shortie #2 said a little bit more seriously.

"I swear it's not my fault! I swear!" Purlo was shoved into the cage next to Link. He sprawled out across the dirt floor, sobbing his misfortune.

"Stop that racket or you can be in the cell with the mutt!" Shortie 1 drawled. Both of them laughed and exited, slamming the door. The noise echoed off the walls. Link's lips were drawn in a snarl, his ears flat against his skull.

"Ohh…woe is me." Purlo sat up, wiping away a tear. "I should have never traded that dark stone for that worthless charm!"

Link's ears pricked. Stone? He crept up to the bars that separated the two cells, his eyes wide. Purlo shrieked.

"Get back! I have-ACHOO-terrible allergies to dogs! ACHOO! Get away! Shoo! Shoo!" Purlo waved his arms frantically, scooting as far away from Link as he could get. Link shoved his nose through the bars, sniffing, as Purlo continued to complain. Straining his nostrils, he picked up the slightest trace of his lost stone. He memorized the smell. Although it was small, he could still remember it.

_I need to get out of here. They don't have a key for the doors…just a lock that anyone could open from the outside. They locked mine, but not his. I have to somehow communicate this to Purlo. That's my only chance._

Wolf Link barked and sprang at the door, putting his paws through the bars to claw at the small part that opened the door. Purlo watched with distaste. Link charged at him then back at the door, trying to get him to understand.

"Shut up, dog. I'm going to try and sleep." Link persisted, driving Purlo nuts.

"Can't you be quiet, you dumb brute! Now I wanna get some sleep!" Purlo shrieked at the top of his lungs. Link glared and continued to go crazy.

He would dig a small hole; charge the door again, pace the length of the cage, then go back to hitting the door. Purlo was fed up.

"No mutt! No! See?" Purlo got up and strode towards the door. "It won't open. That's called locked. We're LOCKED in." He pushed on the door.

_I am, but your not. If you get out, then you can get me out._ Link wanted to tell him, but showed him instead. He wrapped his paws as best he could around the bars and yanked on them. He lost his grip and fell back. Purlo laughed, but Link ignored him. This time, he used his mouth to pull back on the bars. He watched the realization dawn on Purlo.

"Ohh! The door opens TOWARD you!" Purlo opened it and let himself out. He beamed. "I'm free! I'm a genius! I'm free!" He proceeded to do a little twirl.

Link coughed to get his attention. Purlo smirked evilly and came right in front of Link's face, shoving his finger inside to say, "No way, dog! I'm not letting you out. You can just sit here and-!"

In a flash, Link struck. He fixed his jaws around Purlo's arm and dug his teeth into the flesh. He tasted blood, but refused to let go. Purlo cried out in alarm. The alarm cry turned to a wail of pain. "Stop! Let go! I'll let you out…just let go of me!"

Link snarled, disbelieving. Purlo shakily reached over to the lock with his free hand and slid it open. Link let go and came zooming out of the cage. Purlo gasped and cowered against the wall, sneezing and trembling. His arm bled heavily, but his eyes were fixed on Link.

"Don't come any closer! I…I have stars!" Link circled around him, making him back away. He cornered him inside the cage he had just come out of. Then he shut the door and locked it with his claws. Purlo shrieked and ran forward.

"Let me out! Let me out! Ohh…no…" He sank back down. Link turned away and went inside Purlo's former prison. "You wanted to switch cages!" Purlo cried out angrily. "What a dumb dog!"

Link leaped at the chain hanging from the ceiling, opening the trap door that led to the sewer. Link padded happily to the exit, casting one last look at the astonished Star Man. Then he made a very unwolfish move. He stuck his tongue out, then turned away and headed on for the sewer.

Purlo blinked stupidly. "What a smart dog."

Link panted, splashing happily in the water, heading back to town. He had eaten an obese rat or two and lapped at the water for at least five minutes. Now he was ready to get out of there and find his stone.

_So it's with Malo…that little snot!_ Link snorted with amusement. He came to the heavy current and began to swim upstream. Now that his stomach was full and he was outta that cage, he felt like he could do anything. He came to a gap in the wall and leaped, splashing out water. He gripped the hole and climbed out.

Jovani's house. Jovani sat on a little chair, petting his cat Gengle.

"Hello Doggie!" He greeted happily. "You know your always allowed in my house, but…what were you doing down in the sewer?" Link ignored him and impatiently padded towards the hole to dig out. Gengle dashed after him. Jovani sighed.

"Goodness, Doggie. Don't get into too much trouble now, you hear?" He opened the door and Gengle slipped out, but Link hesitated. "Come on!" Jovani urged. Link shrugged and slipped out. It was still the middle of the day. The market would be bustling, and he wouldn't get by without being seen.

"Link." Gengle said, stepping along side the wolf that was so much bigger than him. "I don't think you should go out there. Stay in my yard for the day. No one ever comes back here anyway. You'll be fine."

Until they've figured out I've escaped… Link thought, off in his own world. Link sighed and sat down. An orange kitten pounced on his tail.

"Come on Link! Play with us!" The kittens pleaded.

Link sighed and lay down. "Right now, I just want to sleep. Make sure no one's coming, okay?"

"No!" A dark kit retorted and pounced on Link's tail, digging milk-white teeth into his fur. Link looked back, ears flat, eyes glimmering.

"Kits!" The black and white cat (no doubt the oldest) said quickly. "Why don't you go keep watch? Make sure no one's coming for Mr. Link."

"Okay!" They squeaked and rushed off, mewing in excited voices, "We're gonna be spies! We get to keep watch!" Gengle strolled away to make sure they didn't get into too much trouble. The black and white cat curled up next to Link.

"Go ahead and sleep Link." She soothed. "We'll wake you when nighttime falls, and the guards exchange shifts."

Her voice made Link's eyelids droop. He settled into the grass and laid his head over his paws. Finally, he realized how tired he was and drifted off into a deep slumber.

**Eh…not as long. But, in other news, thank you all so much for reviewing and adding my story to your alerts and favorites! It really makes me happy and helps me to keep on writing. Thanks again! R&R**


	6. Reunited

Little Johnny circled around Kakariko that night. They backtracked to the field from earlier and entered Lanayru, taking down some kagaroks as they went. They were getting used to fighting as a team, and each kill they made was becoming simpler and simpler. Little Johnny's pain subsided for a while, but eventually it would begin to sting.

They crossed the bridge that lead over Lake Hylia.

"How far? I'm tired and my legs ache. Nighttime scares me." Beth complained loudly.

"Beth! Shut up!" Talo whispered. Beth shut her mouth and everyone froze, shoulders tensed. A clattering noise sounded and they turned around. A skeletal dog-like creature was forcing its way out of the ground. Red eyes gleamed hungrily and its crooked jaw opened in a defiant snarl.

"It's a Stalhound!" Little Johnny breathed. "I didn't know they lived here. Run!"

The three kids took off running towards the direction of Hyrule Castle. The stalhound tilted its white head up and gave a hoarse howl. Bone paws arose from the ground, heaving the skeletons out of the ground. Beth screamed as one's head popped up right where her foot was and fixed its jaws around her ankle. Talo sprang forth and chopped it off with a swing of the sword. He grabbed her hand, and they sprinted after Little Johnny.

More of the monsters appeared in front of them. Little Johnny began to carve a path through the hounds. Bones flew and skulls scattered, losing the evil light that was their eyes. Beth took out the slingshot and knocked one dog's head clean off. The pack became fewer and fewer until the remaining stalhounds burrowed underground, whimpering in fear. The children heaved a sigh of relief.

"I wanna go home!" Beth wailed, trembling. Little Johnny went to comfort her.

"We're almost there…" He tried to tell her, "Dawn should be here in another hour or so."

Beth reached out to lightly touch Little J's cheek. "You're so nice." She said in a hushed tone. The boy abruptly drew back, crying out in pain.

"Oh no! Your cheek!" Talo looked at it in disgust. "The blood…the scar…its like…black and yellow…"

"Oh no. It must be infected." Little Johnny realized in fear. "We gotta hurry."

"You mean you might get sick?" Beth gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. "And it's all because of me! I feel so bad."

"Well, the night is pretty chilly. And my clothes aren't all that warm." LJ shivered. "Yes, I think I'm getting sick, but if we get to the doctor's on time, I'm sure he'll give me some medicine to feel better."

"I hope so…" Talo said quietly, making the other two look at him in surprise. That was a first…Talo showing sympathy towards Little Johnny.

* * *

They made it to the town by the middle of the day. Just outside, Little Johnny collapsed.

"Oh no!" Beth cried, feeling his forehead. "He's got a fever! We're too late!"

"Look how ugly that scar looks." Talo turned up his nose. Beth turned to shut him up when they heard a grunting sound. A gigantic boar was picking its way towards them. It looked uncertain and rider less, but it was enough to freak the duo out. They shouted and ran for town.

"What's wrong, children?" An old man near the gate asked curiously. Without waiting for a response, he said, "Will you kindly donate money to a withered old soul?"

"No." Talo hissed and they left him alone. "I hate freaks like that!"

They asked a passerby where the doctor was and she kindly guided them to it. Once inside, they saw what an ugly old fart he was. He adjusted his glasses, glaring menacingly. Talo glared right back at him. The doctor looked away from the rebellious boy to the half-conscious Johnny.

"What happened to this kid?" He grunted, hoisting Little Johnny up and taking him to a back room to lie him down.

"Well, you see, sir…" Beth said pleasantly, "We were attacked by some vicious-!"

"I didn't ask to hear your entire life story!" He croaked angrily, examining his patient. "And by the way—I only take paying customers!"

Beth and Talo exchanged a glance.

"At least a hundred rupees ought to do the trick!" The old man ranted from behind the wall. Instantly, Talo took on an innocent little kid look. His sharp eyes curved downward and his features softened. His smirk turned into an unpleasant frown, the lower lip slightly sticking out. He blinked a few times and, shaking, pulled a shining red rupee from his pocket.

"Sir." He said, in a completely transformed voice, "Please, Sir, Mr. Doctor, Sir. We were on our way here to visit our Auntie. Auntie has a strange disease that no one can identify, but we came here to bid her farewell. On the way, rupee-stealing crows attacked us. That's how my brother got his infection and we are so broke. You see, sir, my little bro protected us so we came out alive. Unfortunately, we only got away with 20 rupees. I fear that my siblings and I won't be eating supper tonight, but if this money will save my little bro, I will gladly give it to you. But please, help him. I have nothing else to offer."

The doctor had stepped out and watched Talo as he said all this. His expression never changed, but something inside him must have clicked and he took pity on the children. He mumbled quietly, "That will do."

Talo handed it to him, knowing he had fifty more rupees to spare.

"Now get outta here! My patients don't need you running about the place! Out! Out!" The old timer screeched. The two kids were shoved out the door. Talo's expression hardened once more, eyes narrowed coldly.

"Some show!" Beth laughed. "Want to go buy dinner?"

"Sure." Talo shrugged and they took off towards the market. On the way, going through an alley, a bunch of kittens came running up to them, meowing loudly.

"Aww, look! They want attention!" Beth reached down to pat one, but it backed away, showing its teeth. The meows changed to hisses and spits. The kits leaped about, causing a tiny uproar.

"What is _wrong _with these freaks?!" Talo cried out, backing away.

"I bet they have rabies!" Beth replied, following her friend. "Let's get out of here!" They took off running the other way and circled around to go to the food stands.

"Thank goodness we're here. I'm starved." Beth admitted as they entered. "Give me the money."

"No way. I can get away with even more trickery today." Talo smiled evilly. "Of course, will you be willing to help?"

Beth paused.

A little bit later, she was walking up to the owner of the bread stand. "Excuse me." She said shyly, trying to copy the act Talo had put on earlier. "But have you seen my mother? She's about _this _tall, has brown hair, freckles, and a pink polka dot dress." Beth tried not to smile. She was sure there was no one in the marketplace that looked like that.

"Sorry, ma'am. No." The bread person replied curtly.

"But I'm lost! And she said she was coming to buy bread. Can't you help me find her?" She bit her lip, causing her eyes to water a bit. It helped a lot. The bread man decided to help and he left his stand, following her.

"I think I last saw her over here…" Beth's voice trailed away.

Talo popped up from behind the stand. He grabbed a dozen rolls, shoving them under his belt. Snickering, he snuck away from the bar to go wait by the fountain for Beth.

* * *

Sunset approached and finally, they doctor let them in.

"He's still very tired. Don't make him walk too much." The man advised the kids as Little Johnny shakily got up to join them. "The medicine I gave him should take effect in about 24 hours. Then he'll be completely fine."

"Thank you." Little Johnny smiled and coughed.

"Yes, thank you, bye!" Talo said quickly, turning to leave.

"Wait!" The doctor was looking suspicious. "If your aunt has a terrible disease that is unable to be identified…why not come see me?"

"Sorry! Her legs are…um…paralyzed and…uh…shecan'taffordagoodwheelchairOKAYBYE!"

The door slammed and the trio got outta there. "Next time you make up a story about our aunt being sick…" Beth glowered at Talo, eyes sparking with anger. "Make sure the guy isn't a doctor!"

Talo shrugged sheepishly. "Here, J-man I got you dinner."

Little Johnny ate the roll slowly. "Now what?" He asked in a croaky voice.

"We find a place to sleep." Talo yawned. "How about a nice dark alley?"

"Um, yeah, where creepy guys hang around at night to steal cute girls like me?" Beth narrowed her eyes. "Seriously guys. Maybe there's a nice grassy place here…"

"Define cute." Talo joked. Beth hit him.

By this time, Little Johnny had wondered off. He didn't know where he was going, but he wanted to get away from the noise and squabble. After Little Johnny rounded the corner, only did they realize that he was headed towards the killer kittens.

"Little Johnny! Wait!" They cried, rushing after him. "There are MONSTERS over there!" They came around the corner and bumped into Johnny.

He stood rigid, staring into the eyes of a gray wolf. Beth almost screamed, but Talo covered her mouth.

"…Link…?" He said slowly.

The wolf nodded, equally slow. Beth gasped. Little Johnny looked clueless.

"Here Doggy…" He smiled weakly and fell over. Link blinked stupidly and tilted his head, as if to say, _what the heck is wrong with this kid?_

"He's got a fever. Long story." Talo said, dragging the delirious LJ over to the little yard where Link had been sleeping.

"I can't believe that is really you Link! That's so cool! Show us a move or two!" Beth squealed. Link shook his head and padded after Talo.

"We need to sleep." Talo yawned. "Would you mind, Mr. Wolfos?"

Link's eye twitched and he turned away. Beth came over.

"Don't make fun of him. He can't help it he's cursed." She said sternly. "Now let's get some rest!"

The three kids lay down. Link curled up with them and the cats stretched around all of them. That night, the kids slept well, with cats as their pillows and a big shaggy dog as their blanket.


	7. Coming and Going

**R&R! …pleeeaaaseeee TTTT**

**Btw, this is probably the last chapter for a little while. In a few days, I start school. D: Thank you for reading and I hope you stick around to read some more in the future…whenever that may be!**

Link woke up abruptly in the middle of the night. He had been having a dream, a horrible dream, but he had suddenly forgotten what it was. He was shaking slightly, and slithered away from the kids so he wouldn't disturb them. He stepped silently with wolf-like stealth to a place where he could stretch to his full extent. His bones cracked, his stiffened muscles loosened. He was ready to leave, but knew he had to wait for this others.

Link laid his head on his paws, regarding where his stone could have gotten off. The strange twilit scent lingered in his nostrils. Link thought carefully…

Purlo must have taken it, if not someone else…at one point, Purlo had to come across it. Since the greedy man would do anything for spare cash, he had probably sold it. For all Link knew, it could have been resting in a glass case hung up in the Malo Mart.

His paws itched to carry him there, so he satisfied himself by pacing the walls restlessly. Eventually, Beth woke up. She let out a sharp shriek…then her brain sank back to its usual spot.

"Oh yeah, it's just you Link. Uh…Link…" She looked nervous. "Not that you being a wolf isn't cool or anything, but how are we supposed to get you to your human form?"

Talo stirred. "BETH YOU WOKE ME UP! IF YOU'RE GONNA BE LOUD YOU MIGHT AS WELL LEAVE!" He roared, sitting up. That brought Little Johnny into the conversation too.

"Link! When did you get here?" Little Johnny scrambled to his feet, surprisingly energetic, and hugged Link around his mane.

"Now we need to find a way to talk to you Link…" Talo interrupted. "We need you to answer our questions. If it's a yes, nod your head. If it's a no, shake it."

"I think that's a little weird for him. How about something easier?" Beth said quickly. "If it's a yes, wag your tail, and if it's a no, bark twice."

Link regarded it thoughtfully and thumped his tail on the ground. _I feel like a retard…_

"Okay Link…" Talo drawled lazily. "How did you get like that?"

Link stared at him coldly. A low growl rumbled in his throat. Little Johnny shot Talo a look. "Not those kind of questions Talo! Okay Link, here we go…is this the first time you've turned into a wolf?"

Link barked twice, keeping a straight, serious expression.

"Ooh, cool! So you're not under a curse?" Beth said, leaning forward as she got into this.

Link sat for a few moments, eyes concentrated on the sky. Finally, he wagged his tail and let out two booming barks.

"Yes and no…" Little Johnny whispered. "Okay! So…um…did someone curse you? I mean, right at this very moment?"

_No._

Talo shoved Beth away. "My turn to ask! Link, how are you today?" Link bared his teeth, flashing daggers." Talo cracked up and rolled on the ground like an idiot. Beth exchanged an annoyed glance with LJ.

A minute passed as Talo's harsh laughter resided. The team seemed to have run out of ideas. Link couldn't stand the silence. He glanced about, pawing the ground anxiously. He plunged his nose into the dirt, and a moment later, he was holding a grimy rock in his jaws, wincing at the "wonderful" taste of dirt.

"I think he's hungry." Beth remarked. Link barked twice from behind the rock, scattering bits of mud as he did so. "Or he wants to play fetch." By Link's expression, that one didn't need answering.

"Does that have to do something with you being a wolf?" Little Johnny whispered, wide-eyed. Link dropped the rock, wagging his tail excitedly. He looked like an overgrown version of one of the little mutts that ran about the town. "Did it…turn you into that? Is it inside you."

Link tried to stop wagging his tail, and managed to bark. "Did you lose it?" Talo blurted out, voicing the smartest question all day, although it was not meant to be. Talo really meant, "did you lose it" as in "did you lose your sanity" but besides that, it was seriously the brightest moment of his life.

Link looked surprised, but wagged his tail in excitement, eyes shining gratefully. Talo realized what the question meant literally, and the situation changed altogether.

"Do you know where it is?"

Link paused. He turned to start scraping at the soft earth beneath his paws. With some difficulty, he scraped the words MM with a small question mark beside it. And no, Majora's Mask did not steal his stone. The children tilted their head at the sloppy letters as realization dawned upon them.

"Malo Mart?" Beth asked and squealed when Link gave her an approving wag of the tail. "Oh Link! That is so cool that we can communicate so well! I mean, when we told Malo about you, he didn't seem happy at all, in fact he kicked us right out of his shop! But maybe this stone you're seeking is in the Malo Mart of Hyrule?"

Link was looking stunned. "You told Malo about me? And…and he kicked you out of the mart?" He asked, but all the children could hear were a few disbelieving grunts and whines. Everyone exchanged a glance.

"Stay here guys." Little Johnny told them. "I'll go look around the mart. If there are any stones…I'll come back immediately." He turned and left the alley, leaving the rest to a bunch of hyperactive kittens.

* * *

Little Johnny opened the door to the shop and went inside. "Ahh!" He let out a short yell as someone crashed into him. "I'm sorry-!"

"No need to be sorry, little guy!" A short woman said with a giddy smile. "This is the Malo Mart, the Hero of Prices…here, we're all friends! Come and join us!"

She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to a line forming at the counter. They were all performing some strange sort of dance and singing together in tune. _I'm in the freak zone… _Little Johnny thought bitterly as the strange lady tried to teach him the crazy jig.

"First, you tuck your arms like this…make wittle arm baskets."

Johnny wasn't listening. His eyes were scanning the shop, looking for some sort of rock. He kept in mind that it didn't have to look like an ordinary rock…that it could be something fancy. Before leaving, he had managed to guess the color of it, by asking a few quick questions to his canine friend. It was orange and black. That much he knew.

But inside the mart, no sinister-looking rock rested in a case or a display shelf. The walls were tacky and colorful. He couldn't spot the rock.

"You listening to me, boy?" The woman's rough voice snapped him back into reality.

"No!" Little Johnny blurted out. "Uh…I-I mean…"

The woman beamed. "Of course! Silly me! You came to _buy _something, didn't you?" Keeping a firm grip, she shoved her way through the crowd up to the gay—I mean—odd man that was the shopkeeper. "This boy would like to buy a discounted item!" She said in a singsong voice. The crowd exploded into applause. The shopkeeper did a little dance.

"Yes! Welcome to the Malo Mart, my dear boy! Can I interest you in some…"

But Little Johnny was already wrenching himself away from the woman and racing out the door. As he escaped, some little boy tripped him.

"Hey kid. I'll shine your shoes for you. Gimme some money."

"SANDALS DON'T NEED SHINING!" Little Johnny roared, making the kid run for cover.

Then Little Johnny turned and sprinted all the way back to the alley, twice turning around to make sure he wasn't being followed. He arrived back to find the courtyard empty with no sign of his friends at all.

* * *

"Talo, we've _got _to go back for him!" Beth wailed. Talo looked annoyed.

"No way Beth. That little kid was running right to her mom to squeal."

Beth pouted. They had exited through the southern gate, thus being spotted by a few townsfolk. The Hylian Guard didn't dare to chase them, the cowards. The wolf was much less scary when it was bound.

"Besides…" Talo continued. "I'm sure he'll walk around and someone will tell him they saw a wolf go by. You don't usually see wolves go running by when out on a stroll…and Little Johnny can't be _that _thick can he?" He snorted.

Link was resting nearby, looking around warily. He tried to keep one ear focused on the children's conversation, but found it hard when so many other sounds were distracting him. Soon enough, Little Johnny appeared. Link relaxed when he saw him and trotted over, wondering what had happened.

Beth questioned him. He smiled and responded, "Well, the south part of town was in an uproar so it only figured you had went through there. Oh, and by the way Link, the stone isn't there. I looked all around…where do you reckon we go next?"

Link kneaded his paws anxiously. He had been wanting to go there all this time: The true Malo Mart. He led the kids down the steps and began to run off, headed for Kakariko. They seemed uncertain, but followed slowly. Along the way, they fought random enemies that still lurked about, and continued for Kakariko. They came to the field…almost there…

Link paused at end of the Bridge of Eldin. He tensed, growling. Out in the field was King Bulbin, his steed Lord Bullbo trotting steadily along the grass, pausing to sip from a puddle every now and then. The kids gasped and hid behind Link.

"L-Link…" Beth's voice quavered. "He…isn't h-he good now? That…that…thing?"

Link barked softly and the children all whimpered at his negative response.

No, the monster didn't go looking for trouble these days, but he would be sure to slaughter anything in his path. The only person he truly feared was Link—Link, who had beaten him four times in mortal combat. And he had no clue that this wolf was Link.

"He still hasn't been able to get over his evil ways…I expected better of him…after letting him and his closest followers live off the land." Link growled softly.

King Bulbin, upon seeing the wolf, would be sure to attack.

The deadly couple was coming nearer as Link's mind raced furiously. It was too dangerous to get the other three involved! But maybe, they could stand a fighting chance…

Link shook his head impatiently and crouched on the ground. Finally, the king spotted him and kicked his boar into action.

"Link!" Talo squeaked in a high voice. "This is no time for lying down."

Link stood up, throwing his head side to side, trying to pass on a signal. He slapped his tail on his sides and back. Little Johnny, being so bright, and always able to sense what Link meant, smiled. At the same time, a look of horror crossed his face. You have to be really experienced to do two expressions at the same time, folks.

Talo was practically dancing on his feet as he itched to run away from the approaching monsters. Beth looked back and forth between Link and LJ desperately. "What…what is it?" She asked quickly at the look of realization on Little Johnny's face.

Little Johnny charged forward and hopped onto Link's back. He looked over at his friends, eyes blazing with determination. "Come on!" He urged. "He wants us to ride him into battle!"


	8. The Battle of Wolf and Boar

**A/N: Ah, cliffhanger, huh? Ha! I told you that you wouldn't see this for a while but I went all out and wrote some more in a day! And please…more reviews? But I don't want flames. Flames will be eaten and spit out and you will not get a cookie.**

**Oh yeah…and they're called wargs? Oh, sorry. Whatever. I saw on a site that King Bulbin's pig was named Lord Bullbo. Eh…does it matter? Everyone makes mistakes. Live with mine.**

Malo awoke from the fourteenth time that night. It had been a day since his brother and company had come to visit. Ever since then, wolves and glimmering gems had haunted his mind, preventing him from sleep.

He sat up in his small little bed, glaring crossly at the small bundle wrapped in cloth across the room. The strange artifact hadn't left its spot in the tissue since Purlo had presented it to him. And yet, he felt the urge to touch the smooth surface of it.

_What would happen if I were to touch it? _He pondered _if it has cursed Link, would it be the same for me? Surely not…I get the greatest sensation when I think about the stone._

Malo wanted to get revenge on Link—he had always been jealous of the hero. But how would he, a short little baby, be able to make Link's life horrible? If he presented the hero's state to the world of Hyrule, would they accept or drive him away? Maybe he could hold power over Link and become a hero that would drive the beast away…

One thing for sure was that Malo wanted to lay his fingers on the stone. He slowly began to step out of bed…but his heart beat wildly in his chest as if trying to pass on some sort of message. He lay down once more, but his feet itched to walk across the room to where the stone lay peacefully tucked away.

He was about to get up again, when the door creaked open and light filled the room. The faithful goron elder stood there. It looked like he was in a good mood.

"Wake up Mr. Malo!" He cheered. "Today is a very nice day!" He walked shakily across the room to pull up the blinds. Sun filled the room and Malo grunted, extremely grumpy.

"I have a good feeling about today, sir." He croaked. "The Hylian Guard has tried our red potions and feels that they could use them to their advantage. We'll be sending a new shipment into town today to the City Mart and get paid greatly! Also, I was just over there talking to that goron baby and he's been thinking maybe we could merge businesses and sell hot spring water too, but then we'd have to pay him a small percentage of the price…what do you think, Mr. Malo? …Mr. Malo…? Are you okay?"

Malo was eyeing his goron companion with disgust. Ever since he had gotten Link's stone, he felt as if he could trust no one. The elder looked back at him, his eyes clouding with confusion at the look his master was giving him.

"Sorry sir…sorry I woke you…" He muttered, backing out the door and closing it quietly. An hour later, Malo came striding out of the room to take his place at the desk. He glanced at the elder with displeasure.

Around noon, the old goron decided he would go find a helpful, younger goron to take the potions into town. Malo was glad for the alone time. He rested his short arms on the desk, closing his eyes angrily. He wasn't enjoying the day at all.

* * *

Link inhaled and exhaled slowly out through his nostrils. What if this killed the kids? He would never forgive himself. He reminded himself that the goal here was to get past and he wouldn't have to attack… 

Then, adrenaline flooded throughout him. He roared and bounded away from the bridge, across the field. His paws pounded across the wet earth, his teeth flashing dangerously as the boar began its pursuit. Being two times bigger and having larger steps, it was an even match for a race.

Link splashed through a puddle then crossed to the border of Kakariko. He turned, expecting the monsters to stop coming, but they didn't.

"We can't lead it into the village!" Beth moaned.

"We have to fight! Come on Link!" Talo squirmed frantically on Link's back.

"I have a plan." Little Johnny said quickly. "Beth, aim for the beast's eyes with the slingshot. Then Link can close in on him and Talo and I will try to slash at him. If we knock him off or at least injure him I think we can do it!"

Everyone agreed, even Link. What Little Johnny said sounded like his joust fight with Ganondorf, only this time he felt more like Epona rather than himself.

"Ready?" Talo called triumphantly. Link let out a few booming barks. He wasn't saying no. He was ready.

He began to sprint across the field again. It didn't take long since not very much space separated the two riders. Beth aimed the slingshot desperately, letting loose a few deku nuts. They flew off to the side.

"Get in closer, Link!" She shouted over the rushing wind.

Link ran faster, his long, muscular legs a blur of greenish-gray. King Bulbin veered off to one side. Link ran diagonal to him, trying his best to get closer to the king's face so Beth could have a clear shot at his beady eyes. Beth tried to aim, but the nuts were harmlessly hitting his small half-horns and armor.

"Just keep stringing them!" Talo shouted, trying to slash at the rider, but barely cutting into the hog's thick hide. A sharp hoof jabbed painfully into Link's side and he winced.

"I don't want to hit any of you!" Beth cried and tears spilled out everywhere. Talo snorted and rolled his eyes.

Then Beth tried again, going faster this time. By luck, the deku nut struck the side of King Bulbin's face. He grunted and held it. Lord Bullbo wavered in his run around the field as his reins loosened. Then Beth took the chance and shot a nut…right at his eye. He squealed angrily and reached back to pull out a small axe.

"Go!" Talo and LJ sprang from Link's back, bowling over the king onto the ground. He squealed angrily through his streaming eyes, struggling to hit one of the kids, but they were too fast, stabbing every part of his body they could reach. A gray wolf was suddenly at their side, fixing his jaws around the king's throat.

"Let…go…" The king rasped, grasping Link's scruff painfully. Link snarled, and then backed off, as did the children, who ran behind Link for safety. The overgrown Bulbin glowered then turned to limp away, leaving his Bullbo standing in confusion.

The blue pig pawed the ground furiously as the last sign of his master left without him.

"You hurt Master." He snorted, leering at Link. "Now I kill you."

His eyes flickered back and forth between the kids dully. They looked on quizzically, having no clue what the boar was saying. Link turned around and snarled at the kids, leaping at them. They got the message.

"Run!" Beth screamed and they took off for the village, across the field, ignoring as the puddles of water soaked their legs in their mad dash. But it wasn't fast enough to outrun the pig monster. He knew he could catch them and his nose twitched with glee.

Lord Bullbo squealed and reared. Link tackled his exposed stomach, ripping and tearing. Bullbo grunted and shook, knocking the aggressive wolf away with his stony hooves. Link rolled away on the ground, staining his coat with dust and dirt. He lunged again, this time for one of the pig's fragile legs.

Before he could fix his jaws around it, the lord raised it and brought it down on Link's shoulder, making the canine stagger a bit. Link turned to leap onto Bullbo's face. He clawed at the pig's nose. It spurted blood. Bullbo swung his head in pain, trying to stab Link with a pointed horn.

The wolf dodged nimbly to one side and tackled the head again, this time raking the forehead. Blood blinded Lord Bullbo. Now he was in a deep rage.

Link clung onto his shoulder, trying to sink his teeth down to the bone. Lord Bullbo used this to his advantage. He gave a mighty buck and sent the wolf hurtling near the edge of the cliff. Link landed flat on his back. As soon as he was down, he was up again circling around the boar with ferocity.

_If I could just get to his throat… _He thought angrily.

Lord Bullbo tried to see through the scarlet curtain over his eyes. He braced himself for an attack. There was a loud snarl and a thunder of pawsteps. Bullbo swung his horns and flailed his hooves wildly. With satisfaction, he felt his hoof meet the wolf's skull.

Link seemed to freeze in midair as the hoof hit his skull with a sickening crack. Then the beast collapsed into a limp bundle of fur at Bullbo's feet. Bullbo plunged his nose into Link's fur, sniffing rather loudly, trying to tell if he were dead or not. Instead, his nose flooded with blood and he drew back in disgust.

"Link! No!" Someone screamed across the field.

Lord Bullbo tried not to pay attention to it. His piggish ears twitched in alarm as he heard swords being unsheathed and the twang of a slingshot. Something hit his cheek. He grunted and turned away from the wolf.

The kid's steps were coming closer, but still, he could not see them.

The boar did not want to deal with anything else today. His nose was throbbing and his eyes were blinded. He just wanted to go find his master and take a break from fighting for a while. These wounds from the wolf would take a while to heal.

He lumbered away; in the direction he had seen his master go. The kids never saw the pairing again.


	9. With the Help of a Fairy

**I'm almost to the end of the story! Ahh, it seems it was so short lived. But there are still a few more chapters to go! Still, you can tell it's near the end because everyone is finally near each other. R&R**

Little Johnny, Talo, and Beth rushed to Link's side at the opposite end of the field. They stood beside the mass of dirty gray fur, dumbstruck. Beth was crying again.

"It's no use!" Talo wailed, breaking the silence. "He's dead!" He closed his eyes to hold back the pathetic tears that were coming.

Little Johnny kneeled beside Link, putting his hand in front of Link's wet dog nose. Small puffs of air could be felt against the skin. He stood up abruptly and grabbed onto Link's mane. "He's not dead! He's wounded! But he will be if we don't get him into Kakariko immediately!" He said quickly, making the other kids jump and race to grab onto Link.

With much difficulty, they dragged him into town.

* * *

Malo was outside, sitting by the big sign that read "Malo Mart" with a picture of his face plastered onto it. The sun's rays warmed him, making him drowsy. A goron rolled by quickly and he glanced to see what was the rush. 

_Ah…my dear friends… _He thought smugly as the goron halted in front of the three children to uncurl. It towered over them in a threatening gesture. They looked nervous, but determined. Malo faintly wondered what that dark huddled shape they were standing in front of was…either way; no doubt they were back for the stone.

He watched, amused, as the goron shoved a finger in Talo's face. The boy had definitely said something to upset the guy. The goron brought back a stone-hard fist, aiming it straight for the children when the door to Elde Inn opened and out stepped Renado.

Renado gasped and ran at the goron, grabbing onto his arm. The goron obeyed, putting down the fist and walking away angrily. Renado turned to confront the kids.

Malo frowned, disappointed. _Bah! _He thought bitterly, opening the door to his shop to go inside. _Show's over._

* * *

Renado sat beside his daughter, examining the wolf. He seemed upset, not just at the thought of the goron clobbering those kids, but of the fact they had brought some monster for him to nurse. Who knew how many innocent victims this beast had killed during its life span? 

Against his will, Renado pressed a damp cloth to the dog's head. An eye twitched slightly, but nothing more. The shaman began to wipe the masses of blood away, while looking at the children uncertainly.

"Tell me again, children…" He said slowly. "Why you want me to save this wolf?"

All of them replied at once.

"Long story."

"He just randomly saved us from death while we were crossing the field!"

"This wolf is Li-!"

Talo gave them a glare silencing them all. "Well, we were coming into the village, from the way of the puddle field. We got attacked by this huge…" Talo droned on and on about the story, how this wolf had saved them and that they wanted to help the wolf live in return. Renado still looked doubtful.

"I can't believe that this single mutt managed to fight off all those enemies…" He murmured. "Are you exaggerating? Is this some kind of joke?"

Talo began to protest, but Little Johnny cut in. "Guys! We have to tell him the truth! Mr. Renado, this wolf is Link!"

Renado's eyes flashed dangerously. "I may not know why you want me to save this wolf…" He said coldly. "But there is no use lying about it. There has never been any foul magic that can turn someone into a wolf…and I've heard about a lot of dark magic!"

"But-!"

"No! I will save your companion, but I will not tolerate lies. I am not in the mood for it. Go fetch my daughter while I attend to this animal!" He went back to looking at Link's damaged head. The blood was drying, making the glossy fur turn horrid, arising in ragged clumps. Link's breathing was shallow. You could barely see his torn chest rising up and down…

They left. "If Link dies, it'll be HIS fault!" Talo said suddenly, punching the building in frustration, only to take it back, shaking his fist pain.

Renado's daughter, Luda, came rounding the corner, looking worried. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "He's been in such a bad mood lately. I don't know why…he's never like this! Anyways, I think I can help you…"

"You believe me when I say that he is Link, don't you Luda?" Little Johnny said quietly.

Luda looked concerned. She had always liked Little Johnny a lot. She had missed him when he went back to town, and it was a thrill to finally see the kids back, but there was no time for small talk.

"I don't know…" She responded truthfully. "Renado can't do much to help the wolf at this point. Most likely he'll die, so alls you needs to do is get a fairy and he'll be fine…or maybe some fairy's tears."

"Luda!" Came an angry cry from inside.

"Gotta go! There are tons of fairies that live back in the spring! Go get one!" She said quickly, before disappearing inside.

They followed her advice, tramping through the desolate town as gorons eyed them evilly. Little did they know, the stone had changed the town beyond belief.

* * *

"Why won't these fairies come to me?" Talo griped, swiping an empty bottle in ones direction again, only to have it fly out of reach to the other side of the spring. 

Beth sat on the edge of the warm water, sipping daintily from her bottle of milk. Little Johnny stood in the water, watching the pink fairies flutter by, whispering nervously. Link could be moments away from his death. They had to get one of these.

"Fairies!" He said boldly. "Please…someone we know is dying. We need your help…you've got to save them!"

One bright little fairy floated out from the clustered group. "Who is this person?" She asked in a mystical voice that shimmered into the water.

"He is Link, Hero of Hyrule." LJ replied evenly.

The fairies squealed and scattered, zooming around Little Johnny crazily. Johnny shook impatiently. Link could be dead already!

"Quiet!" He roared, making the fairies freeze. "Why do you care?"

"Link has always been a friend to fairies." A pink fairy said dreamily. "It's been everyone's dream to be able to give up our power for him. Plus…he's really hot."

"What are you talking about?" Beth questioned.

"Fairies die to save other lives." Another explained. "It's better to die for a hero than a rotten old soul. I would SO die for Link any day..." She swooned.

"Will someone come with me to help him?" Little Johnny said, trying not to sound impatient. A light pink fairy drifted out from the crowd.

"I will…" She said lightly. The others squeaked enviously. "You two children stay here…I will go with this boy." With a flick of her wings, she and LJ walked to the Inn where Link was supposed to be.

"What's your name?" Little Johnny said, embarrassed.

"Tierra." She answered, sounding slightly depressed.

"Are you okay? Don't you want to die?" LJ snapped his mouth shut, realizing that that was a stupid question.

"I am different from other fairies, not as willing to die. Therefore I must, as my punishment for being improper." She answered curtly as they entered the inn. Little Johnny felt confused, but didn't argue.

Inside, neither Renado nor Luda was anywhere to be found.

Link was lying on a table, his bleeding stopped and his head wrapped up. Little Johnny felt for a pulse, but felt nothing. Had Renado left because the hero had finally passed on? Little Johnny looked back at Tierra. She had stopped in the doorway.

"That's not Link!" She hissed, batting her wings angrily. "That's not even a human!"

"It's Link!" Little Johnny told her truthfully. "He's under a curse…and now he's dying! Please! You've got to help him!" Tierra floated over Link, examining him.

"I feel dark magic. But…I can't believe it is he. Of course, I have heard the tales of a blue-eyed beast…yes. This must be Link." Little Johnny looked at Tierra sadly. She let out a small sigh that felt like a tiny gust of wind. "Bless him. He has done much for Hyrule." She whispered. Then she swirled around the blue-eyed beast, covering him with her light.

Johnny tried to keep his eyes on the little fairy as she twirled around and around the canine. But she soon was lost amidst her own sparkling power. The pink magic remained, floating around Link as if it were a dream.

Little Johnny reached forward, groping into the mass of shining air. He felt no miniscule body, nor heard the tiny flutter of wings.

Tierra was gone.


	10. Prepare Yourself

Warning! This chapter…um…contains…gore. Twitch

Nothing.

Streaks of pain.

Then sudden rejuvenation.

This is what Link had felt in the past hours of his life. He knew what it was like to almost die—how a sense of darkness washed over you. A feeling of nothingness. It was far different from sleep—on every side you could feel foreboding death. It was approaching.

It _had _been approaching for the last hour. It had closed in like a deep fog, until it had suddenly lifted. Considering Link was a hero, he had been through near-death many times. But this time he had been certain he would die because he was a helpless wolf with even more helpless children. But now…perhaps not so helpless?

He lifted his head and blinked blearily. He stretched his limbs with a satisfying crack. There was a short intake of breath before him. He forced open his eyes to look back into Little Johnny's own. He was smiling brighter than ever.

"Link! I did it! You're alive!" He said, eyes shining. Link suddenly scrabbled forward, barking like a mad hound, "Little Johnny! You're great! Thank you so much, I can't believe you managed this! You kids were so brave. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Little Johnny's smile just widened, because he still couldn't understand what Link was saying. Renado and Luda came dashing down the steps.

Renado looked alarmed at the sight of Link running around LJ in joyous circles (looking much like an oversized puppy) while Luda just smiled slightly from behind him.

Link bounded for the door and leapt at it. The door crashed down and he charged out into the open air. Little Johnny followed. Renado goggled, while Luda just giggled.

Beth and Talo had been sitting by the spring, heads hung in defeat. As soon as Link's noise reached their ears, they sat up and looked around wildly. He came streaking across Kakariko Village, tongue lolling, ears pricked.

He woofed compliments as all three children rushed over and began to stroke and pat him. Link still couldn't believe he was alive—he was certain he was to die sooner or later. Suddenly, after minutes of happiness, Little Johnny drew back.

"Okay guys." He said firmly. "Malo has _got _to know where this stone is. If he still has it, it'll be great. We can get it back. If not, we'll continue looking for it. Now let's go see Malo." Before they could move, some fairies had come flying over.

"Where's Link?" One squeaked.

"Why are you petting that ugly beast?" Another demanded.

The third muttered, "Liars! I thought Link was here."

Link growled slightly in the back of his throat.

Talo pointed to Link. "_This_ is Link. I don't feel like explaining the whole story right now, so deal with it. But, if you look into his eyes, you will see that those are Link's eyes because…" he imitated the fairies high-pitched voices, "No one can have the same hot blue eyes as Link can!"

The fairies paused then squealed, darting about in excitement.

"There's Link!" The first squealed.

"HE'S SO HOT! Link could be any animal, and he could still be good-looking!" The second sighed dreamily, batting her wings slowly.

The third simply said nothing, but fainted and fell into the warm spring water below.

"Uhh…yeah." Beth said nervously. "Can we just go see Malo?"

* * *

Malo lay curled in his bed, eyes barely open. The room was dark, the blinds drawn shut. Out by the desks, the old goron shuffled about, his footsteps giving away that he had no idea what to do with himself.

Malo reached under a pillow in his tiny bed. He pulled out something wrapped in cloth. He blinked at it curiously. They were here to take it…they were going to be here any minute. They were going to…

No.

_They will not take it. It is mine now all mine. It is precious. It is MINE! _He began to peel the cloth off, eyes burning. Suddenly, a light flickered on. The elderly goron stood in the doorway. Malo looked up at him, so mad he could spit. The goron surveyed the room with weak, old eyes. At once, he saw what was coming.

"Mr. Malo, no!" He croaked, moving across the room with incredible speed. He snatched the stone and left the backroom. Malo let out a furious roar, which sounded more like a screech with his tiny voice. "Give it back! Give it back!" He swore loudly.

The elder paused with his hand on the door. He shook the bundle furiously with one hand. "Mr. Malo!" He said angrily. "I believe this stone has been influencing you far too long! A weak body such as yours should not be this close to dark magic. Besides, haven't you heard what's going on by the spring? This belongs to the Hero of Hyrule! I'm giving it back right away."

"I'm NOT weak." Malo said suddenly, his eyes shining dangerously.

The elder looked at him with a mixture of rage and pity, "Malo, you are not Link. You can never wield a sword. You were made to be a shopkeeper. Now if you'll excuse me."

Without warning, Malo darted forward. The sudden move made his clothing rip. With unknown strength, he knocked the goron of his cane. The goron croaked in surprise, crashing to the floor. Malo strained every muscle in his miniscule body to lift that cane.

As soon as he lifted it, he hit the elder with it—hard. There was a scream. Malo lifted the cane for another blow. He hit him again and again. Since the elder was old (As all elders are) he was frail and it didn't take much time until he started bleeding.

He groped for the doorknob, blood streaming down his horrid face. Malo hit his nose with the cane and out came a satisfying crack. The goron howled in pain and held his nose with one hand while the other searched for the knob. This meant dropping the stone.

Malo bent over quickly, grabbing the cloth, looking at it with such greed he didn't notice his once-worker finally find what he was searching for.

The door flew open and screams filled the town. Malo dropped the gem from shock. He grabbed the cane and swung it at the back of the goron's head. The elder let out a feeble groan and fell down the steps, hitting his head on each edge. Malo watched as he hit the bottom in a brown and red heap.

He didn't move.

Malo stood there, panting heavily in the doorway. He sat down from the shock of it all. His had found the warm cloth, now stained with blood. He was ready. They wouldn't take it from him. Never. Never!

He was prepared for the cry that issued from Beth's mouth. "Malo! How could you?" She shrieked, for it was obvious the big goron was dead.

Talo and Little Johnny stood on either side of Beth, looking shocked. Link's hackles rose and he was bearing his teeth aggressively. Malo panted, still sitting. "Took you long enough." He grunted.

Beth shrieked. "You killed him! How could you?"

"He had it coming." Malo was still shaking. "I couldn't control it. I…I haven't been myself for day!" He frowned, but his eyes were still glinting furiously. "This stone…well, surely you understand why I had to do it?"

Little Johnny looked confused. Link barked angrily. Talo stepped forward, looking menacing. He spat on the ground. "You are no brother of mine. You are a _murderer_."

Malo sat there, breathing heavily. His eyes rolled back into his head. Link prowled forward a couple of paces, growling. Little Johnny tried to ignore the harshness of Talo's words and said quickly, "Malo, it's hard to explain, but now that we've got Link here, you've REALLY got to hand over that stone. I think the dark magic…" He trailed off at the look of pure venom on Malo's face.

"I won't. You can't make me. Link can just die in that form for all I care." He said dangerously. Everyone gasped. Link didn't flick an ear. He gnashed his teeth in response and crept closer still.

"I don't care what you do, Link!" Malo said loudly, standing up to totter down the steps with the bundle clutched in his pudgy hand. "This is mine. You can't take it from me."

Link paused, eyes wide.

"I know what you're thinking." Malo breathed. "You think I'm weak. You can't hurt a baby, can you? You think you won't have to fight me. You think you can just take the stone without doing much of anything. Well you're WRONG!" He screamed the last word. The three other kids flinched.

Malo fumbled for a moment, face contorted. Then the cloth fell away, revealing the glimmering stone.

Beth fainted, falling back into LJ's and Talo's arms.

Link streaked forward, but wasn't fast enough as Malo reached forward…

…And touched the stone.


	11. Pools of Blood

The stone disappeared in an instant. Malo went wide-eyed, as if he hadn't expected the stone to be absorbed into his tiny body. But he didn't have long to feel surprised. The evil power immediately flooded his body.

The kids and Link watched in horror and he fell forward with a thud onto the ground. His body coiled into a little round ball. The ground turned dark around him as his weak body blackened. He shook uncontrollably. Beth grabbed Little Johnny's hand and tugged it urgently.

Suddenly, there was a sickening cry of agony from the mutated twilit form of Malo. The body began to grow larger. His tiny baby hands grew into ferocious claws. His mouth and nose melded into one long snout. His hair spread down his neck until it had become a fiery mane. There was a loud crunching as the human spine changed to accompany the transformation.

_He's becoming some sort of monster. It oddly resembles a wolf. _Link thought, his insides feeling sickened by what he was witnessing.

Malo's scream turned into a roar. The darkness flew away from him, revealing what he had become.

The twilit stone had taken a form.

Malo was now a large wolf, twice as big as Link. This wolf had broad shoulder and powerful legs. His claws were twice as sharp as Link's and his teeth twice as pointed when he curled back his lips. Two long tufted ears that resembled devil horns poked up from his head. Streaks of orange ran up and down the black fur, the exact pattern of the stone. A long red tail flowed from his back and a mane blazed along his neck. The monster opened its eyes to reveal pupiless pools of blood red.

The true form of the gem let out a spine-tingling roar. Link looked back at the children.

"Run!" He barked, but they didn't need to even understand him. The ran into the Elde Inn and secured the door. Malo leaped after them, bellowing, but Link threw himself on top of the beast. Malo turned around teeth bared. Link pinned him down with all the strength he had. He gazed into those eyes, trying to find a trace of the possessed baby he knew.

"Malo." He said softly. "If you're in there, you must regain control of this form you have taken. Turn back and hand over the stone. I will not hurt you and I will not be angry. Now please-!"

"You think Malo can hear you?" Came a gurgling snarl. "I am the last of Zant's dark power. I was used to curse you, but Malo touched the stone and created me. I am his greed and ambitions all inside the stone. My name is Tanzen. You cannot destroy me. I will destroy you."

A sudden push from below sent Link flying into the air. He landed on his back, but leaped to his feet.

Link's gray hackles rose and he bared his teeth in a threatening gesture. "Then come at me!" He challenged.

The two wolves circled about. Link prowled around Tanzen, never taking his eyes off him. Tanzen wore a gleeful smirk across his face, as if daring Link to make the first move. Link held his breath, watching waiting. Every second was a year, every minute, a millennium. Link searched for a week spot during the delay.

No scarred belly like Ganon, no jewels on his back like Argorok. This was going to be a wolf-on-wolf battle. They would fight like savages as if two pack leaders fighting for the right to be alpha. The weak spots would be the normal ones an animal has—the eyes, the belly…Link shook his head to clear these thoughts. Right now, he had to concentrate on not taking his eyes off of Tanzen.

Suddenly, there was a blur of color, dazzling Link's eyes. Tanzen darted around him, and lashed out with his back legs. The explosive surprise caught Link off guard from behind and sent him toppling over. He was on his feet in an instant and swiped a paw at Tanzen, who leaped back and forward again to knock Link over. Link felt like a fool, being knocked over so much.

He sliced a gash on Tanzen's shoulder the second time the evil wolf came in to attack. Tanzen merely laughed then slid his paws under Link's making the sacred beast stumble. Then he rammed into him, making him go skidding through the dirt. Link's mind raced furiously.

He's too strong, too big. I wish I had Midna, Link thought. But there must be something I can use to my advantage. Something one normally wouldn't use…my size!

Link propelled himself at Tanzen, who ducked. Link landed on his feet and did not fall over. Instead, he turned on the spot and secured a bite onto Tanzen's tail. The wolf howled. Link knew the tail was tender. He sunk his teeth in and held it there.

His opponent twisted around, eyes gleaming with hatred. Link held tighter still. Then Link was on his back again as Tanzen rolled over, throwing him off balance.

A grave mistake for the villain.

Link threw himself on top of Tanzen, pinning him to the ground. He began to rake the exposed belly with his claws. Hardly any trickle of the strange orange blood appeared. Link paused for but a second to register his astonishment. Tanzen pushed him off with powerful back legs.

A moment later, he reared on his back legs and brought his full body weight down onto the surprised beast. Link copied this move, and for a moment, the two wrestled on the ground. Then Tanzen flipped Link under him and brought one long claw slicing down Link's belly.

Link could feel it open like a bottle of hot spring water. He let out an anguished cry and Tanzen backed off. "Look at that, Link. It's more than you did to my stomach."

Link stared at the pool of scarlet blood around him. He glanced around. Some fairies were floating nearby, but too afraid to come any closer. Then he glared back at Tanzen, his lip curling.

"I must admit, I was curious to see you grovel. But if you won't, I guess I'll just end your life now. It must hurt a lot anyways." The other wolf shrugged and smirked evilly. Then he darted forward and fixed his jaws around Link's scruff. Link felt his paws leave the ground and more blood pour out as he was lifted into the air.

Tanzen shook his head furiously, his teeth secured in the scruff. Link was thrown back and forth until a heave made him land heavily on the ground. Link let the tiniest of whimpers. He was just playing with him until it was time to kill him.

Oh the shame of it all.

Tanzen grabbed Link again and shook. Link howled and threw his paws out in every direction, but they only clawed uselessly at the air. Again, he was pounded into the ground. Link stood, but was too rattled to fight back. Tanzen let out a wheezy laugh.

Then he grabbed Link's scruff for the final time, but didn't shake. Instead his teeth sunk deeper and deeper into the flesh. Closer and closer to the part of the body that connected the spinal cord to the brain, the part that would kill if pierced by those teeth. Then the teeth released him and he fell to the ground gently.

He looked up in surprise.

Tanzen was snarling as Little Johnny held his sword to his black throat. Little Johnny let out a yell and began to dig the tip into the skin until gruesome blood started to appear.

"Go ahead and kill me. I'll take Malo with me!" The monster roared. Little Johnny paused and Tanzen bucked like an angry bull, throwing him off. Little Johnny gasped as he made contact with the edge of Malo Mart. Tanzen crept closer, black drool coming out of his mouth.

One hand brandishing the sword, and the other holding his bloodied head, Johnny slashed the sword at the approaching enemy. Tanzen caught it between his teeth and snapped it in half. No words can describe the look of horror on Little Johnny's face at that moment.

Slavering jaws closed around the boy's neck. Then they were yanked away. Little Johnny smiled as he saw Link on the back of the monster. Link had saved him just as he had done for him!

Link gripped Tanzen's back with sharp claws and ripped at his shoulder with teeth. Tanzen tried to throw him off. Link was able to inflict several wounds before Tanzen finally managed to get him off his back.

The two wolves glared at each other then flew into the air. Their hind legs supported them as they locked front paws and snapped at each other. They bounced about, different blurs of orange, gray, and black. One moment, Tanzen was on top, swiping a heavy paw at his opponent. The next, Link was on top and performing a belly rake.

Little Johnny crawled under the steps of the Malo Mart, wishing he could be out there helping Link, but didn't dare get anywhere nearer to the flying teeth and claws.

The battle raged on.

Then Tanzen had Link under a heavy paw. He scoured his claws along Link's back. Link collapsed in a heap of bloody fur beneath him, panting. "We're so close…" He choked out weakly. "So strong…"

"Yes, so close, but so far. Obviously, I am the stronger of us." Tanzen said in a cracked voice that betrayed how tired he was. "Any last words Link?"

"You die before I do." Link promised quietly.

"Too late for lost hopes now." Tanzen laughed. He bent over wearily, fixing his fangs on Link's neck. Link's eyes widened slightly then closed. "Goodbye." Tanzen said through the mouthful of thick fur. His voice was weary and his eyes were bleared. He gave a small, satisfying bite on the neck.

Link's bright blue eyes became a misty gray as they glazed over with death. He fell limp. His heavy breathing slowed. His long, strong legs gave an awkward jerk and then stilled. The great beast gave a soft sigh as his last breath quietly left him and he closed his eyes forever….

And now.

Before you say anything.

Before you do anything.

Hold your breath and think.

How can the story go on without Link?

Realize there's still more.

The unexpected is in store.


	12. Home

The last chapter of Lone Wolf came up short, but I just wanted to end it. Please, no flames. I know it's not that good, but there will be better fics in the future and please keep reading some of mine ;; Now prepare for the final episode of LONE WOLF!!!!!!!!

"No!" Little Johnny's scream pierced the darkening sky. The onlookers of the village bit back regretful tears at the sight of the bloodied wolf lying limply on the ground.

"Yes!" Tanzen howled triumphantly. "Accept the fact that your friend is dead and now I will move on to greater things. The sun shall never rise again once I come to power!" He laughed manically, both paws placed firmly on Link's slump shoulders.

LJ felt his vision blur. He hastily wiped a tear away, murmuring, "No…no…" Over and over again.

"Link can't be dead! He just can't be!" Beth shrieked hysterically, crumpling to her knees. Talo made a choking sound, his mouth agape as he stared in horror.

Johnny pounded his fist into the ground, tears pouring off of him like mad.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Grief hung over everyone like a thick wet blanket. Tanzen was still standing on Link's corpse, his snout lifted to the sky as he let out a long howl of triumph.

Then it happened.

With a snarl, Link propelled himself off his back legs, sending Tanzen through the air. The beast landed heavily on the ground, scrabbling for a hold. He stopped, looking Link up and down as the hero stood straight above him.

"I killed you!" Tanzen croaked in astonishment.

"You were a little off the mark." Link growled, shaking his fur back to reveal the red spot where Tanzen had bit him, located slightly to the left of the jugular.

Tanzen had no time to register his surprise. No time to spring back into action. No time to defend himself against the force that was the Hero of Hyrule.

Link sprang forward, closing his jaws on Tanzen's forehead. The wolf fell to the ground, screeching in agony. Link strained his head and shook it furiously. The tip of the cursed stone poked out.

With one great yank, Link pulled out the stone and fell backwards onto the dirt.

Tanzen screamed his horrible scream over and over again as he fell onto his stomach and began to dissolve. Eventually, the screams turned to wails.

His orange skin swirled with black fur as he dissolved into the ground. The muscles and bones disappeared into thin air. All that was left was a tiny whimpering coming from a little baby crouched on the ground.

Talo rushed forward. "Malo!" He cried out, grabbing his little brother's hand. He helped Malo his feet steadily. Malo was shaking wildly. He didn't seem to recognize anything around him. He gazed at his brother, his eyes wide and scared.

"It's me, Talo!" Talo said, placing both of his sweaty hands on Malo's shoulders. Malo blinked, still looking wary. Talo gave him the smallest of smile.

"So I'm still your brother then?" Malo said weakly.

Tears flooded Talo's eyes. "Well Duh!" He cried, voice cracking. He wrapped his arms around him and hugged his brother tightly. Malo stared past him, not returning the hug.

"You all hate me. For what I've done." He said blankly. If he had the strength, he would have pushed his brother away.

"No." Talo tried to say, but Malo cut him off.

"I don't see why you wouldn't. I hate myself too." Malo stared at the ground, eyes hard and slightly wet. Beth came over and hugged him too.

"Malo, don't worry. Alls that matters is that you're alive." The three stood there, hugging each other. Malo uttered a soft sigh and fell to the ground.

Beth gasped. "Is he…?"

Talo picked his brother up gently. "No. Just unconscious. He deserves to sleep." He gave a soft smile at Malo and carried him to where Little Johnny was. Silently, they walked over to where Link was lying on the ground.

Talo set Malo's body next to the wolf quietly. He backed away, wiping away the last trace of his tears.

"Look!" Little Johnny said suddenly.

Link's gray body had turned black. Black particles were flying off him every which way. His tail shot back into his spine. He grew skinnier and taller as his canine muscles washed away.

"Yes, yes, YES!" The children cried out as the human rose to his feet, swaying back and forth. "Link!"

Link blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Holy Nayru…what happened? Am I dead?"

"Nope!" Little Johnny exclaimed, his smile threatening to burst from his face. "You're alive and you beat that evil monster!"

"And you rescued Malo." Talo added.

"And you made a cute wolf." Beth added.

Link smiled weakly. "Oh yeah…" He picked up Malo. Malo opened is eyes slightly and groaned. Talo muttered something about Malo needing rest, but Malo ignored him and concentrated his gaze on Link.

"Kill me." He whispered. "I tried to kill you."

"No Malo." Link said firmly. "You were under the influence of the stone. And it's my fault that you came into the possession of it…the magic took great effect on your pliable mind, and I'm sorry for that. Forgive me, Malo."

Malo nodded, looking more assured now that he had heard an apology from Link. "Thanks. I forgive you." He said quietly.

"Now go back to sleep." Link told him gently. Malo obeyed, closing his eyes and letting his body relax. Within minutes, his breaths were even and quiet.

Everyone was silent.

"Can we go home now?" Talo asked. "I want to sleep for a million years…"

Beth giggled. "I second that. What do you guys say?"

"Third it." Little Johnny grinned. "What about you Link?"

"Yeah." He let out a long sigh, looking around the devastated village with a mix of emotions on his face.

"Let's go home."

-The End-

By the Twilit Princess


End file.
